A major crisis is looming in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) over disagreements on the zoning of party offices and the 2027 presidential ticket ahead of its national convention.
The convention, billed for November 15 and 16 in Ibadan, Oyo state, is to be conducted by a 110-member national convention committee chaired by Ahmadu Fintiri, governor of Adamawa.
While the mood in the opposition party appears to favour ceding the presidential slot to the south, divisions have emerged over which of the three zones should produce the candidate.
At a southern zoning consultative summit in Lagos convened by Douye Diri, governor of Bayelsa, and Seyi Makinde, governor of Oyo, southern leaders resolved to propose a micro-zoning formula for party offices and the presidential ticket among the southeast, southsouth and southwest.
But some leaders from the southsouth and southeast have rejected the move, accusing the conveners of pursuing a hidden agenda.
The dissenting bloc, made up of state chairmen, current and former lawmakers and other stakeholders, alleged that the plan was designed to pave the way for either a comeback bid by former president Goodluck Jonathan or a presidential run by Makinde.
Speaking after the Lagos meeting, Makinde said micro-zoning was one of the items on the agenda and that resolutions from the summit would be forwarded to the party’s national executive committee (NEC).
He said: “Democracy is about the minority having its say and the majority having its way.
“The south has taken far-reaching decisions, and in the days ahead, wider consultations will also take place.”
He added that PDP governors, elders and leaders remain committed to repositioning the party as a credible alternative.
On the claim of exclusion, Makinde said Adeleke Ademola, governor of Osun, was represented and that Peter Mbah, governor of Enugu, delegated his deputy.
“You have no fewer than 12 of the 17 members of the zoning committee from the south here.
“Consultation is a continuum. We’re trying to get all stakeholders together so that we can give a credible alternative to Nigerians,” he said.
But Kingsley Chinda, minority leader of the House of Representatives, dismissed the summit resolutions, saying they lack legitimacy.
He argued that many stakeholders were deliberately excluded.
“We dismiss the resolution and outcome of the meeting. It is not binding and not reflective of the opinion of the generality of stakeholders,” he said.
Chinda described the meeting as divisive and unconstitutional, saying any decisions taken without inclusivity would be resisted.
State chairmen from Imo, Abia, Cross River, Akwa Ibom and Rivers, alongside several former governors, lawmakers and national officers, also issued a joint statement rejecting the Lagos meeting.
They said resolutions reached “in secrecy and exclusion” cannot stand as a consensus.
Part of the statement read: “The PDP, since its inception, has been anchored on the values of inclusivity, equity, consultation and collective responsibility.
“Any process that deliberately sidelines key stakeholders and ignores the legitimate authority of national officers erodes trust, fuels division and threatens party cohesion at a time when unity is most needed.”